Games I Liked, Others Didn't - Round Three

What a simplistic title for this series of articles, no? "Games I Liked, Others Didn't" was the best I could come up with. Seriously? Regardless, same principle goes for these next games. They were mostly panned by critics and/or the gaming community, but I happened to enjoy them. Sounds simple enough.

Metroid: Other M (Wii)


Whether you dig the storyline or not, I do not care. Whine all you want-- you're gamers, that's what you're so good at doing. I really enjoyed Samus Aran's latest adventure despite the anime-like story. The cinematics were something extraordinary-- something you wouldn't usually see from Nintendo. Having Adam allow weapons and abilities to be used was so much better than Samus magically and coincidentally losing her abilities somehow for the fiftieth time. The level design was not as good as something as up to the caliber of a Super Metroid, but it was competent all to its own. Finding secret weapon and energy tanks was still as enjoyable as ever even if you constantly saw a different side of Samus than we're used to seeing. Plus using the d-pad to control Samus wasn't a problem at all, nor was switching views by holding up the Wii remote. All-in-all, a solid game like my review states.

Mario Sports Mix (Wii)


Talk about negativity. The latest Mario sports title was developed by Square-Enix who worked on the mediocre DS game, Mario Hoops 3-on-3. In my eyes, they've redeemed themselves with this title. Each sport is simple enough to learn but tough to master, and though the early cups are mind-blowing-ly easy, it doesn't stop you from having a good time. Multi-player is where this game really shines whether online or offline, participating in cups cooperatively with friends/relatives or duking it out two-on-two or three-on-three in heated competition. Expect a review of Mario Sports Mix sometime tomorrow evening.

White Knight Chronicles: International Edition (PS3)


Take sword, dagger, or battle axe in hand as you play this MMORPG-like JRPG. Whether you play the offline story that hangs up on a cliffhanger or partake in online play, there's something for everybody in the world of White Knight Chronicles from Level 5. There's even HD towns, something Square-Enix (the cowards) stated would be impossible to produce! Take out foes in real-time combat similar to Final Fantasy XII. You have only a set amount of moves you can make before your action gauge fills back up, so use them wisely! From the breathtaking visuals to the ability to play online with friends, there's something for everyone (well, except trophy whores) in White Knight Chronicles: International Edition.

Shadow the Hedgehog (PS2, GCN, XBX)


Shadow the Hedgehog was too edgy for its own good. There was no reason for the dark tone or the need to curse. Oh, wow, he said "damn"! Regardless of the source material, the game allowed the titular character to drive vehicles, shoot guns, and otherwise avoid using that dreaded homing attack, something that doesn't really work well in 3D. The levels were adequately-designed with hidden passages, multiple pathways, and secret bonuses. Each playthrough of Shadow was six stages long. The way you progressed depended upon your decisions in the game's levels. Help Eggman? Then you'll follow his level path. Help Sonic? You guessed it. An above-average title with an excellent rock soundtrack, Shadow the Hedgehog is by no means an awful game.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash Up (Wii, PS2)


This budget-priced title featured the more-recent cartoon version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The difference between the Wii and PS2 versions was that one had online play, and one did not (the PS2 version). The game gives no secrets about its point of inspiration as the subtitle says it all-- Smash Up-- as in Super Smash Bros. The combat, however, does feature lifebars instead of percentages like SSB. The cast of characters, though, leaves a lot to be expected. During development, the developers hinted heavily that characters from the 1980s TMNT cartoon would be in the game such as Bebop and Rocksteady. Instead, what we received were characters all from the 2000 TV series. The only remnant of the old TMNT show is a themed Technodrome stage.

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My writing thirst has been quenched, so it's time for your turn. What games does most of the world dislike but you happen to enjoy? Don't be shy now, let me know in the comments section!

Games I Liked, Others Didn't - Mega Mania Edition

If there's one series I can't get enough of, it would have to be the Mega Man franchise. This is why we're taking a special look at several less-than-loved-the-world-over titles in the series with this installment of Games I Liked, Others Didn't-- Mega Mania Edition! We have five well-known entries in the Mega Man universe that I happen to like. However, there's a sector of [wrong] people who dislike these aforementioned titles. Let's find out why!

Mega Man 8 (PS, SAT)

Jump, jump, slide, slide. What's not to love about these difficult yet fun levels? Mega Man 8 may have had poor Japanese voice acting, but it held a lot of charm with it. It was cool hearing the robot masters speak in battle, and the soundtrack was impressive as well. Of course, the 32-bit visuals didn't do much to detract from the experience either. I enjoyed the variety as well. One level you'd be playing typical Mega Man run and gun action while the next you'd be riding atop Rush, blasting enemies in the sky. The addition of hidden bolts in the game's levels added longevity-- more so than any Mega Man before it. In short, Mega Man 8 is a severely underrated installment to the Mega Man series, and I hope Capcom returns to this style.


Mega Man 7 (SNES)

Or even this style for Dr. Light's sake! The 16-bit visuals were vibrant and colorful, the soundtrack was as infectious as the NES tunes, and game had a lot of fun challenge. Some didn't like how big Mega Man was in comparison to the NES games, but I happened to love the change of pace. There were B-E-A-T letters to collect, secret power-ups for Mega Man to obtain, for the first time ever, a shop where Mega could buy special goods with collected bolts, and some of the most ingenious and fair level design since Mega Man 4. This is just another case of haters gonna hate, it's the sensational Mega Man 7.


Mega Man Network Transmission (GCN)

Now this game I can understand why there's some hatred for it. It was damn difficult to beat! Not only did Mega Man take a lot of damage each hit, but there's the matter with the chip gauge. You see, at the start of each level a gauge would be full, allowing Mega Man to select five chips from a random selection of chips. The problem is that this gauge would then refill so slowly that you'd be waiting minutes for the opportunity to choose new chips. This means that if you got bad chips, you were out of luck until the next time the gauge filled. Apart from that (certain items and chips would make the gauge fill faster), the cel-shaded visuals were gorgeous, the soundtrack was catchy, and the game was fun overall.


Mega Man X: Command Mission (PS2, GCN)

Some think Mega Man, or his future self X, should stay in the realm of action-platforming. Mega Man X: Command Mission showcases Mega Man X in his first and one and only endeavor into the world of role-playing. The turn-based action was fun if not derivative of other titles, and the story was engaging enough to follow through to the very end. Who didn't like the awesome cast of characters that would join your party? Sure, the game was pretty linear, and it isn't too innovative, but Mega Man X: Command Mission is a competent RPG even without the Mega Man name attached to it.


Mega Man X8 (PS2, PC)

After the abysmal showing that was Mega Man X7, I had much trepidation to try out its sequel. Reading up that it would return X to his 2D roots, I opted to pick the game up, and I'm glad that I did. Yes, spikes are thrown around in the game's levels like sugar to children, and there's two dud vehicle levels, but overall Mega Man X8 is a successful game. Being able to switch between two heroes added a new dynamic to the game (even though it was present in X7), the 2 1/2D levels were tremendous, the music was a step in the right direction, and the bosses were as challenging as I was expecting. Those with a bad taste in their mouths after X6 and X7 should definitely check out Mega Man X8.


That concludes another installment of Games I Liked, Others Didn't. What do you think about these five Mega Man games? Like them? Hate them? Indifferent on them? Let me know in the comments section!

Games I Liked, Others Didn't Redux

You know how it is... People gush over a certain game while you finally play the game and think it's garbage. We're going to focus on the vice versa with this article. A long while ago I listed some games that aren't exactly the queens of their respective balls. Many critics disliked the games I selected, but I happened to find them entertaining. You can find that article here. This is part two of that with five new games that weren't media darlings that good old SuperPhillip happened to enjoy.

Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (360)

When a new Banjo-Kazooie is announced, what do you expect? Tight and robust platforming, expansive worlds, note and jiggy collecting? Well, two out of three ain't bad at least. Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts was a great departure from what fans enjoyed from previous bear and bird games. This time the focus was on constructing and driving elaborate vehicles through multiple challenges and worlds. Would I have liked to have had Banjo and Kazooie starring in an HD platformer exclusively? You bet, but this game is still a blast to play. Building the right vehicle for the given situation, jetting across the sky, and revisiting old friends made this installment a fantastic adventure!


Perfect Dark Zero (360)

For the longest time there was no multiplayer game better than Perfect Dark Zero on the 360. Halo 3 bumped PDZ off many gamers' lists, but it still remains number one in my heart. Well, at least until the Perfect Dark remake hits Xbox Live Arcade! While possessing a weak story with dreadful voice acting, the single-player campaign was a lot of fun with its objective-based mission structure. You completed a series of objectives in missions such as sabotaging communications or securing all hostages. Multiplayer was the coup de grace with gigantic maps with hidden passages, single or team-based gameplay, and loads of weaponry. Add in a kickass soundtrack, and you have a package that I cannot resist.


Geist (GCN)

Let's continue with the first-person shooter theme here with Geist, a supernatural shooter starring a specter that can infiltrate other people's bodies. By scaring a host into a state of panic or fear, our hero can possess their body be it a scientist, soldier, or CEO. The game was awfully linear with only one way to properly scare a given individual. That said, it was like a puzzle seeing what combination of possessed objects would and would not scare a person into submission. The multiplayer as well was fantastic with multiple maps, possession-based gameplay, and several intelligent bots to shoot down. If you're looking for an FPS that tries its hand at innovation yet stumbles a little, check out Geist for the Nintendo Gamecube.


Mega Man X8 (PS2)

After the botched experiment in 3D that was Mega Man X7, Capcom opted to go back to X's roots with 2D gameplay. Well, 2-1/2D gameplay. What culminated was some twitchy, awesome platforming action and some terrific presentation. X8 is easily the best X game since X4 and free style motocross. The formula remained the same after so many years. Eight mavericks each with their own weakness and strength. Eight stages ranging from volatile volcanoes to cyberspace. There were countless hidden goodies from armor-boosting capsules, health-increasing heart tanks, new weapons, a new monetary system to purchase new moves and abilities, and a fabulous soundtrack to get your heart pumping to. For unrivaled X action on the PlayStation 2, try Mega Man X8.


Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity (Wii, PS2)

The first Sonic Riders focused on air as the main gameplay mechanic. Zero Gravity on the other hand, focused on gravity as the title would suggest. This was your atypical racer where pulling off tricks and grinds would fill your gravity meter allowing you to make sharper turns with ease. A lot of critics hated this idea, but I happened to enjoy it and the game in general. The tracks were many and well-designed, there were secret characters such as Ulala and Billy Hatcher, and the difficulty eased you into the game before pulling out all the stops. For an unconventional racer overlooked or ragged on by many, Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity is top-tier in my book.


Have you any games that you adore that other people give you grief about liking? Let us know in the comments section!

Games Others Liked, I Didn't

A while back, sometime last year, I wrote an editorial regarding games that I enjoyed that the majority of the gaming public might not have. You can check out the aforementioned article here. Anyway, we're going to do a reversal of that idea. This time around we're taking a look at some "popular" games that I don't particularly care for and some reasons why. It's Games Others Liked, I Didn't on SuperPhillip Central.

Gears of War 2 (360)

Take a series made by manchildren for manchildren, and you can automatically see what I hate about this game. You take big burly space marines with steroid addictions, throw in some guns with chainsaws attached to them, visceral violence, profanity, and blood, and a melodramatic story that takes itself way too seriously for how stupid it is, and you get Gears of War 2. My favorite part of this putrid piece of slime is when one of the main character's wives is shown mutated into a repugnant locust. So the sobbing dude takes out a GIANT MAGNUM to blow her away. Overdo it much? Toss in online multi-player that somehow has all of the same glitches and exploits of the original Gears (the original Gears had these issues patched long before the sequel came out), and you can see why Gears 2 grinds my own gears!


Killzone 2 (PS3)

I was immediately taken aback by the level of cursing involved in Killzone 2. Every line was "%#$% this", "$%@$ that", it was embarrassing. That's not how you come across as mature. In fact, that's how you come across as juvenile! Furthermore, the gunplay and controls just didn't feel right. Every gun had heft to it which made aiming very difficult. Why do you need realism with your weapons when this is the same game where we're fighting guys who have to breathe through special black suits? It's a bone-headed decision that just didn't sit well with me and made enjoying the game difficult. Another part of the game that annoyed me was gray. Every level, every area, gray. This is truly next-gen when there's no primary colors to be found. Apart from these negatives, I really did enjoy the multi-player and how it didn't take you out of the game just to change modes. Very intuitive and cool on that side of things for sure.


Dead Space Extraction (Wii)

EA neglected to call this game a light gun shooter for a reason apparently. Light gun shooters have far, far more action in them. There were ten missions in all, but the killer for me was that you couldn't skip dialogue-- this meant you were stuck for minutes at a time listening to the characters squirm and squabble while you're just wanting to blast some necromorphs to hell and back! Additionally, each mission took thirty minutes or more to complete. While that isn't bad all to itself, it is bad when there's no way to save mid-mission. Power go out? You better be ready to start the mission all over again. Finally, the fifty dollar price point definitely got on my nerves. It's far too expensive for a game of this genre, and the consumers made this abundantly clear. As for positive things, the game does look sensational. And none of this "for the Wii" crap either. Either it looks good or it doesn't, and Dead Space Extraction on Wii does look good.


Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (PS3)

Wow, that title's almost as long as a given cut-scene within the game! Almost. That's my main beef with the game. It constantly takes you out of it with a cut-scene! I should not have to sit through fifty minutes to movie just to get to the gameplay. Skip the dialogue, and then I miss out on the god-forsaken bat-%#%& crazy story. Games are not Hollywood. They shouldn't be Hollywood. Games are interactive experiences. The majority of the time spent "playing" Metal Gear Solid 4 is done passively watching cut-scenes unfold. No offense to those who like this game's story, but it's some of the most convoluted garbage I've ever witnessed. It completely ruins past Metal Gear continuity and feels like it was written by a Hollywood hack who couldn't make it in the business, so they decided to go to video games (see: Epic Games).


Punch-Out! (Wii)

The most disappointing game in this list happens to exist on the Wii as Punch-Out!, an update to old NES classic. What can I say about the game? It has everything to succeed from its powerful presentation to its satisfying gameplay. Well, satisfying to the point that it's too damn hard for someone like me! Damn that samoan slugger and his fists of doom! How dare he show that I'm-- as the kids say-- "weak sauce" at this game! Furthermore, there's really not much else to do from the single-player rise to the championship mode. Multi-player is a pure button-masher/waggle-fest (see, kiddies? I'm using the term waggle correctly!). Despite my inadequacies with the game, it is well put together if just not my type of game.


There we are. Five titles that I deem to be disappointing and/or disgusting. Have you some games that are popular yet you don't like them? Let us know in the comments section.

Games I Liked, Others Didn't

We all have them-- games that we like that the majority of the gaming public doesn't. You try to hide them. You feel guilty about liking them, but you enjoy them nonetheless. I thought I'd take an opportunity to bring up some of these types of games. Feel free to share your own in the comments section!

Sonic Heroes (PS2, GCN, XBX)

Sonic Heroes had some of my favorite level design in the franchise's 3D history. I especially liked how the game followed the traditional 2D pattern of two acts followed by a boss. The glitches didn't bother me as I didn't experience a vast amount. The ones I did experience were vexing as they were usually ones that ruined a good run and were freak accidents. Playing as three characters as opposed to one was a fun gimmick, but playing through the game four times with the game's four teams became very tedious. Despite this, Sonic Heroes was an enjoyable, if not flawed, speedy experience.

Star Fox Assault (GCN)

Star Fox takes to the skies... and the ground in Star Fox Assault. The game featured impressive graphics for the time, a masterful soundtrack of old and new themes, hectic space dogfighting, and the ability for Fox to leave his ship and run on-foot. This is where some people disliked the game. I had no problem blasting baddies away, running around, and completing missions. There were only ten missions in all meaning that the campaign had much less longevity than what you'd see in Star Fox 64 which easily trumps this game. Multi-player, however, Assault has 64 beat with cleverly-designed, open battlefields and tons of modes and replay-ability.


Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast (Wii)

Donkey Kong: Barrel Blast was barrel-blasted for its controls. You drummed both the Wii remote and nunchuk to speed up in this racing game. You raced along a rail, so the turns were automatic, but you could move left or right by drumming the Wii remote or nunchuk separately. The game featured a myriad of modes from the standard grand prix to a special challenge mode that put you in a race and you had to meet the conditions of it. Combined with the racing was a cast of colorful Kongs and Kremlings from DK, Diddy, Lanky (DK 64), Funky, and King K. Rool.


Dewy's Adventure (Wii)

I remember pre-ordering this game so I could get the bonus, a Dewy plushie. I don't regret it one bit as I vastly enjoyed Dewy's Adventure for Wii. The game's visuals are still some of the best a third party has had to offer on the console, and the fun was immeasurable. You tilted the Wii remote to slide Dewy around the game's massive themed levels, rescuing fellow dewdrops and using the power of weather to shock or freeze enemies into submission. If an option to use the Wii remote and nunchuk were offered or the ability to tighten the controls of the tilting, Dewy's Adventure would most likely have been a higher rated game instead of the cult classic it is today.


Tony Hawk's Underground 2 (PS2, GCN, XBX)

After seeing Tony Hawk Ride, I'm sure more people are thinking more fondly of Tony Hawk's past games. Downhill Jam is more intriguing than Ride, for Bucky Lasek's sake! While Underground 2 followed a more Jackass feel with that giant moron Bam Margera, the game featured some of my favorite levels in the history of the series. The game was just fun to play, and it still had that enjoyable arcade feel that later games dropped altogether. The ability to create your own goals and make your own skate parks raised my love for this game. Along with Pro Skater 3, Tony Hawk's Underground 2 is probably my favorite in the series.


That does it for now. Again, let me know some of your games that you like that the rest of the world doesn't. Perhaps they will show up in a future installment!